Airbag control units in a motor vehicle can have the problem that a fault such as a short circuit of the minus output stage of an ignition circuit control to a vehicle ground or a short circuit of the plus output stage to the vehicle ground can lead to an unintentional triggering of restraint devices. It can also be a problem to rely on a critical low value of a resistance between a printed circuit board ground in the control unit and the vehicle ground to prevent unintentional triggering, especially in vehicles that have an aluminum chassis, which feature higher resistance values due to the type of construction. Moreover, in the case of this material, due to the significant oxide layer formation, it is difficult to guarantee, for the entire service life of the vehicle, a low-impedance connection.